The invention relates to a mattress cover. More particularly, the invention relates to a covering for a mattress in lieu of a fitted sheet, which fully encases the mattress so as to stay securely in place during use.
In conventional bedding arrangements, mattresses are covered with a fitted sheet, and then are covered with a flat sheet, a comforter, and other bedding materials. A typical fitted sheet has a rectangular top, and has four sides which meet at elastic corners. To apply the sheet onto the bed, one of the corners is placed over one of the corners of the mattress, and then the sheet is stretched across to the opposite corner of the mattress so that the cover corners are placed just beneath the mattress corners. Then the remaining cover corners are stretched over the two remaining mattress corners so that all four cover corners extend slightly beneath the mattress. The cover is thus held in place by the tension between the opposite corners.
However, since the elastic remains tensioned once it has been applied onto the mattress, it has the tendency to "pop up" off the corner. When the sheet has shrunk from repeated washings and its corners cannot reach underneath the mattress, they have a much greater tendency to pop up. In addition, mattress covers for children's beds have an even greater tendency to ride up, since children often move around a great deal.
Some have attempted to deal with the problem of the ever-moving bed sheet by using straps which extend around the mattress, ropes which tie to the bed frame, Velcro pads and snaps which attach the bottom of the sheet to the bed frame, and more. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.